Binary Disruption and Ejected Stars from Hierarchical Star Cluster Assembly

Abstract

We simulate mergers between star clusters embedded within their natal giant molecular cloud. We extract initial conditions from cloud-scale simulations of cluster formation and introduce different prescriptions for primordial binaries. We find that simulations that do not include primordial binaries result in a larger fraction of unbound stars than simulations that include a prescription for binaries based on observations. We also find a preferred direction of motion for stars that become unbound during the merger. Subcluster mergers within realistic gas environments promote binary disruption, while mergers between idealized, gas-rich spherical clusters do not produce the same disruption. Binary systems with smaller semimajor axes are disrupted in simulations of subcluster mergers within their natal environment compared to simulations that do not include the realistic gas environment. We conclude that binary disruption and the production of an anisotropic distribution of unbound stars are the natural consequences of subcluster mergers during star cluster assembly.

Keywords

• Young star clusters
• Star forming regions
• Star clusters
• Stellar dynamics
• Binary stars